


Snow

by silver_shot



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:07:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24320086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_shot/pseuds/silver_shot
Summary: It is apparent to him that she is avoiding him. Not that he blames her but their position together will forever stagnant if she remains this stubborn over the matter – again, however, he does not blame her should she take this route. On the fourth night, Sakura approaches him. “Please, Sasuke-kun, what do you hope to achieve with this?”
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 10
Kudos: 171





	Snow

Refuge from the biting icy wind is generally found in the local tavern of the town. There is only one in the town; and there only need be one. Upon the icy peaks, in the land of snow, lies a village whose inhabitants know of sunny days and warm breezes only from stories.

They townsfolk are welcoming of strangers, but wary of their durability to survive the frequent blizzards of their settlement. “You think you can handle that kind of weather, kid?” asks the bartender.

Sasuke shrugs, slides over his payment, and enjoys the warmth that liquor brings to his system.

“He'll be fine,” comes a new voice from beside him. The owner of which slides onto the stool beside him, and orders herself a drink.

The bartender smirks, “sure thing, Haruno”.

The woman beside him smiles cordially to the bartender, then turns to look towards him. She takes off her gloves, and lowers her hood, “so, you found me,” she says.

Sasuke nods, and takes another sip of his drink. He lowers his glass and mumbles, “how did you know I was looking?”

“Kakashi,” she says, softly, “he sent me a message a few weeks ago telling me that he'd told you of my location”.

“Yes,” replies Sasuke, “I'm surprised that this is where Kakashi sent you”.

“I volunteered”.

“Okay”.

She smiles, peripherally he can see this but instead of meeting her gaze, Sasuke pays attention to his drink.

The bartender places Sakura's drink before her. She pays and thanks the man. Turning back to Sasuke, Sakura asks him, “is there a reason why you asked Kakashi where I was stationed?”

“I think that's obvious,” Sasuke replies, “to find you”.

“And I think _that_ is obvious,” Sakura remarks, refraining from rolling her eyes, “I'm more asking as to why you wanted to know where I was”.

“To see you”.

“Why?”

He turns to her now, Sasuke glances over her expression. There is no warmth, she is serious with her questions. “We should do this some other time,” he remarks softly.

She smiles, “are you planning on staying long in this village?”

“I'll stay for as long as it takes,” he replies, naturally.

“As long as what takes?”

Sasuke finishes the last drops of his drink, “like I said, we should do this some other time”.

.

.

Sakura asks him of where he is staying for his visit. Sasuke tells her that he has a room in an inn. Sakura smiles and remarks happily that, “maybe we'll see each other tomorrow”. Sasuke tries not to frown, though he doesn't want to push it, he had half hoped that Sakura would ask him to visit her place for the night; just briefly.

But she doesn't, so as the pair walk in silence towards their respective destinations, Sasuke mulls over what best to say for their inevitable parting of ways.

“I've heard of some of your achievements while on the road,” Sasuke remarks softly, surprising himself that he is the one to initiate the conversation.

“Really, that surprises me,” Sakura replies, genuine with her sentiments.

Their fork in the road comes about on a corner where the street light that illuminates their surroundings flickers with a low hum. Sakura bids Sasuke good night, intending to leave – but Sasuke blurts out a, “may I come see your place?”

The soft crunch of snow beneath her boot accompanies her hesitant steps to turn back towards her drinking partner of tonight. “You...want to come over?” Sakura nervously repeats.

Sasuke nods, “yes, if that's okay with you”.

It isn't – not entirely, “I don't know if that's such a good idea, Sasuke-kun”.

“Sakura, I'm not asking for–”

“Why do you want to come over, anyway?” she blurts out the remark before properly thinking it over.

Sasuke stops mid-sentence, and closes his mouth. He responds with silence and Sakura hastily adds a, “sorry, that was out of line”.

It annoys him to see that she is conflicted by just his mere presence, “I just want to talk”.

She swallows, scrutinises his expression, then sighs.

.

.

Her apartment had been designed by her; a white modern aesthetic – one she is rather pleased with. Sasuke however is sceptical, “I expected more colour”.

“What was that?” Sakura calls from the corridor, unzipping her boots.

Sasuke considers repeating his remark, but then thinks against it, “nothing”.

Sakura pads her way into the living room, “would you like me to get you a drink?” she offers.

“We've been drinking all night,” Sasuke counters, inhibiting his smirk.

“I meant water,” she replies, heading off to the kitchen.

Sasuke follows with a quick, “sure”.

.

.

The town has a famous pastry made by the family bakery located near the always-frozen lake. “Its not too sweet,” Sakura remarks, offering him some off the plate. Sasuke takes one whilst Sakura takes two. He sits beside her, Sakura sits on the couch with her knees brought up to her chest.

They speak of their adventures during their time apart – their years apart.

“I'm three months into a five month mission,” Sakura continues, biting into her pastry.

A long term stint; one that appears only Sakura has the competency to complete – Kakashi's words. He himself travels for an intended longer term, but by his volition only; no external involvement.

Sasuke allows Sakura to steer most of the conversation. He prefers to listen, he watches the way her eyes light up with mirth when she broaches on the topic of medical ninjutsu. They speak for a while – too long in fact as the moment Sakura glances over to the ticking clock of the living room, she jumps up from her seat and remarks, “oh crap, its late”.

Sasuke takes a look at the time, then back to Sakura. He stands up, and bids her goodnight, intending to head to the door.

She grabs his wrist, “you cannot go out there now”.

His eyes train to the spot where Sakura grasps him. She notices this as well and lets go just as fast.

He replies to her with an unsure, “what do you mean?”

Sakura responds, “there is a blizzard tonight, you wont be able to travel to your room now”.

“Ah, I see”.

“I – should have been paying more attention. I knew there was a storm coming tonight”.

“Sakura, its not a big deal”.

She pauses, then sighs, “I suppose so. Okay,” she looks back to the couch, “you take my bed, I'll sleep on the couch tonight”.

.

.

The décor of the room matches the rest of the apartment. It doesn't feel like Sakura's though; he had expected more flowers, or photos, or at least a little bit more than the white -grey aesthetic. Sasuke sits on the bed, Sakura brings in another blanket, “it'll be cold tonight,” she says. She leaves the blanket at the edge of the bed and turns to leave.

Sasuke stops her in her tracks by quickly remarking, “will you not be cold?”

She turns back, “I'll be fine”.

“We can share the bed if you want, Sakura. I have no issue in doing so”.

Sakura smiles softly, “I don't think that's such a good idea”.

“We're not children any more, Sakura”.

“That's why it isn't a good idea”.

“Sakura–”

“Sasuke-kun, I...good night”.

“Sakura,” he stands up, and takes a step towards her form, “Sakura, we should talk about what happened–”

“We should,” Sakura interjects, “but not now. We need to get some rest”.

“You'll be cold on the couch,” continues Sasuke, “we can share the bed. You don't need to make this a bigger deal than it is”. Watching her expression, Sasuke still picks up on a slight edge of unease so he adds, “we'll talk about it in the morning then. I will not push the matter”.

Her demeanour softens, “okay”.

“Okay?”

“Okay yes, we'll talk about it in the morning”.

“And?”

“And what?” she blinks.

He rolls his eyes, “and we can share the bed”.

Sakura opens her mouth to counteract, but she relents nonetheless, “okay fine,” she grumbles light-heartedly.

.

.

Sakura falls asleep before him. Her expression is serene and it feeds into his state of peace. She looks content, she is not unhappy to lie beside him and that fact alleviates a worry he'd carried on his journey up to the icy peaks.

Sakura wakes before him; when he opens his eyes, he finds her sitting up. She turns to him, and smiles. “Good morning,” she says.

He sits up as well, “good morning, Sakura”.

.

.

Sakura cooks them both breakfast. Sasuke offers to help but finds that there is little he can do. She has her own routine when cooking, one he is not apart of.

“Can you grab a couple of plates?” asks Sakura.

_Now that he can do_ , Sasuke muses while opening the cupboard door.

They do not eat in silence. Any awkwardness promised by the night before is forgotten until the moment Sakura sets down her cutlery, after finishing her meal, and Sasuke decides now is the time to say, “about last night...”

She looks up, an eyebrow raised, “yes?”

“There was something, yesterday–”

“That you wanted to discuss,” she finishes.

Sasuke nods, “before I left Konoha–”

“Sasuke-kun, I,” Sakura interjects, biting her lip and looking apologetic for interrupting, “may I say something first?”

Not that he is in a rush, but Sasuke had planned out his speech beforehand and would rather get it out now, if possible. But her expression wavers his stance and so he nods silently, and gestures for her to continue.

She takes in a breath, “I...this all boiled down to miscommunication – on both our parts. If its alright, I think its best to forget about what happened because–”

“No, I disagree”.

Her shoulders sink, “I thought you would say that”.

“Sakura, why would you want to forget?”

“Not forget just,” she smiles, wistfully, “if I didn't choose to ignore the past, perhaps I would have yelled at you when seeing you last night, instead of having a drink”.

“I rather wish you would have?”

“And why would you wish that?” she asks.

“Because,” he says, “its honest”.

“Its juvenile”.

“No, **I** was being juvenile when I left you”.

Sakura purses her lips, and stands up. She remarks quietly, “no, **you** were being honest”.

.

.

She works at the clinic during the day. In the afternoon, Sakura immerses herself in her research – her main objective for her mission.

He'd left her apartment in the morning amidst the tension that their conversation had brought out. He'd hurt her in the past – and now once again. He could make her happy, despite what history dictates. But the one chance he'd received to do so, and he'd turned her down.

Cowardice – fear – stupidity.

His actions of the past are the reason that Sakura goes about her day with her clothes bare of the Uchiha crest.

She reflects his mistake, but its one that he will rectify – **he will**.

.

.

Sasuke hates the cold, he cannot understand how Sakura has managed to survive these past three months in this in village. Every day after the first, he has attempted to catch her after work as she makes her way to her apartment – somehow though, he misses her.

It is apparent to him that she is avoiding him. Not that he blames her but their position together will forever stagnant if she remains this stubborn over the matter – again, however, he does not blame her should she take this route. On the fourth night, Sakura approaches him. “Please, Sasuke-kun, what do you hope to achieve with this?”

It is lightly snowing, her cheeks are red from the cold. Sasuke replies, “I want you to give me another chance”.

She grins, and continues onwards down the street. Sasuke follows in suit. She exhales and the air materialise into a white mist before her. “Sasuke-kun, I think you're forgetting that  _ you _ left  **me** ”.

“Don't simplify the matter as such”.

“Is that not what happened?” asks Sakura.

“No,” replies Sasuke, “I didn't leave you”.

“Okay, whatever”.

“Will you give me another chance, Sakura?”

“A chance to do what?” she asks, “what has changed?”

He pauses, and frowns.

Sakura continues before he can say anything, “you know, I still don't know what I did wrong back then. If it was you, if it was me–”

“It wasn't you”.

“Okay,” she breathes out, “that doesn't explain why–”

“I was a coward”.

She smirks, “I don't buy it,” she stops walking.

Sasuke stops a step ahead, and turns back to face her.

Her demeanour is calm, but her eyes are anything but. “Uchiha Sasuke – a coward? Nope, not buying it,” she continues on.

Sasuke bites his tongue, “Sakura, I'm serious”.

“So am I,” she says, “because of all that you were, being a coward was not one of them,” she buries her hands into her jacket pockets, “just say it was me. Say it was because of me. I assumed where I shouldn't, or I went to fast–”

“Sakura, stop it,” he can only hide his agitation for so long. He'd never been a fan of hearing Sakura talk about herself like this, time has not changed this fact.

She continues to smirk, “what do you expect from me?”

He waits a second before answering, “not this. I didn't expect this. I didn't expect you to believe it was your fault”.

“But it was”.

“Why would you think that?”

“Why else would you have left me. After I asked you...you...you left the next morning and I don't know what else you expect me to think”.

“That I'm a coward”.

She chuckles; an empty sort of laugh, “no, that's not it”.

The simple fact that she is able to see through his crap, even years later should have been enough of a sign. “I...was angry, back then. I was angry”.

“I know,” she says – this doesn't surprise him.

“I was angry, but not at you,” he pauses, “however I ended up associating you with what I was really angry with. I distanced myself when you gave me everything you had. It was wrong, and I paid the price”.

“The price?”

“You”.

She smiles, “very cheesy”.

“Its the truth”.

“What were you really angry about?”

“It doesn't matter,” he says, then clenches his jaw when Sakura's response to this is, “ah, another thing I shouldn't be privy to”.

In all honesty, the matter is personal, which is why he hesitates to speak of it out-loud. He isn't entirely sure he knows how but his gut tells him that to hide this from Sakura will turn out as another mistake – another regret. He owes her this, at least this.

“Can we go somewhere private?” he asks.

“Why?” she asks, her demeanour begins to match the coldness of the surroundings.

“I want to be honest with you”.

“You have been honest, moreso than before when–”

“I thought they told you,” Sasuke blurts out, his latent frustration partially evident.

Sakura closes her mouth. She eyes Sasuke's expression then replies, “told me what?”

He pleads with his expression for her to understand – which she does as she relents, and offers for him to follow her back to the apartment.

.

.

Like before, Sakura offers him a drink. Sasuke accepts and sits upon her couch. She hands him his drink, and as he expects, her first question to him is, “who are _they_?”

“Kakashi – or Naruto...I don't know the names of the others”.

Sakura does; and her smile reflects that despite their situation, there is still some humour to the fact that even now there are only few whose names Sasuke bothers to remember.

She purses her lips, and frowns, “what is it that they should have told me?”

“It isn't something you should...” no, scratch that – maybe it is something Sakura ought to know. It could even be something the mass of Konoha should know but with this comes attached strings, and unfavourable circumstances. Many would deny the fact, far too many are patriotic and what if Sakura is one of them?

What if she does not believe him?

“Sasuke-kun,” she whispers, “is it too difficult to speak of?”

Blissfully unaware, sitting before him is the personification of a future he wishes to grab. Sakura – she had offered herself before and he had said no; a spur of the moment decision he regrets more and more with each passing second, “It isn't that it is too difficult,” he says, his lips thin into a line, “it is just unlikely that you'll believe me”.

“Try me,” she says.

His smirk reflects the hollowness of the situation, “where should I start?”

“Anywhere,” she says, clasping her hands in front.

_Anywhere_ ; he thinks. “My clan,” he says, “my clan's massacre occurred by the orders of the elders of Konoha”.

Preparing himself for her disbelief, Sasuke peeks a glance towards Sakura. Her neutral expression surprises him, and moreso her remark thereafter in which she states, “I know”.

This breaks the barrier, “you knew?” he hisses.

His change in demeanour does not falter her expression. She remains calm whilst he steadily loses his. “Yes,” she says, “I knew. I found out just before this mission”.

His blood stops its boil, “your mission?”

“Yes”.

“This mission?”

“Yes”.

“The one you're currently on”.

She smiles knowingly, “I'm a little late in finding out, I know”.

So she hadn't known when he left, “who told you?”

“No one,” she says, “I...found out on accident”.

“You did?”

“Yea,” continues Sakura, “I was helping Naruto once, he had wanted to impress Kakashi by assisting him with a project – unfortunately that meant Naruto needed my assistance in doing that. So anyway, once when we were researching examples from the past, or I was and Naruto was asleep, and I came across memos scribbled about that night in Tsunade-sama's handwriting. Maybe she had researched it in the past...I don't know.

Anyway when I asked Naruto about it when he woke up, he denied knowing of such a thing–”

“He's lying,” Sasuke interjects.

Sakura nods, “I know, he was like a deer in headlights, it was easy to put two and two together. I don't know how many other people know. So far I know that both Shikamaru and Yamato know of this truth”.

“Kakashi does as well,” informs Sasuke.

Her expression falls, “really...okay, I see”.

“They didn't tell you?”

“I suppose they saw no need for that”.

“Do you agree?”

“It doesn't matter, does it?”

“It does,” Sasuke counters.

Sakura shrugs, and places both hands on her knees. She looks ahead to the coffee table, “is this all you wanted to tell me?”

It isn't, but already their conversation has already taken its toll.

“You thought I knew, right? Before you left, you thought I knew?” asks Sakura, softly.

“I did,” says Sasuke, “I thought you knew”.

“Is that why you left? Would me knowing somehow...” she trails off, for the logic behind each event is missing, and he understands why.

“That's not why,” he says.

“Then why?” she asks, her voice laced with a hint of a plea.

He owes her this much – “Sakura, I...there wasn't anything you did wrong. I learnt that Naruto had known, that Kakashi had known but their plans for the future–” he bites his tongue, and laments his foresight at the time – of course Sakura had not known.

Kakashi had a duty to the village, and Naruto was to follow in the man's footsteps. Whatever their goals, their movements will always be influenced by the elders.

They had conducted their meetings, and planned what route the village would take in the new era post-war. He had been invited to each meeting; Naruto's wishes which Kakashi had been fine abiding to – Sakura however was never there. That fact alone should have made it obvious to him of her innocence in the matter.

But he couldn't see it then – stupid,  _really_ .

“Sasuke-kun?” Sakura probes, “their plans for the future?”

“Ah, right,” he snaps from his reverie, “they had these meetings, with the elders, foreign dignitaries, and clan heads about what route the village will take”.

“They did?”

“They didn't tell you”.

“No,” she smirks, “and I'm not even surprised”.

The bubbling of guilt is always a familiar feelings with him when it came to Sakura. Wistfully, this is not what he'd want for the woman who promises him a future he'd desired before even knowing it. “I...thought you knew,” he says.

“Knew what?”

“Knew about all this, the meetings, the plans–” Sasuke clenches his jaw, “I thought you...were with them”.

“Naruto, and Kakashi?”

“Yes”.

She frowns, “I'm always with them, Sasuke-kun. They're my family”.

“Sakura...I...”

“But you are too,” she adds on, softly, “if you'll let me be”.

He knows she does not mean it in the same way that she had meant all those years ago. Its different now, and that fact hurts.

“Sasuke-kun,” she says, “I'm not going to ignore what you have to say about them. I won't judge you”.

Her response is surprising, to say the least, “you don't know what I'm going to say”.

“I can guess”.

“Can you?”

“Yes, well...” she pauses, genuinely contemplating her response, “did your meetings with Naruto or Kakashi involve how the village will handle the Uchiha Massacre?”

She is perceptive, “yes,” says Sasuke, “amongst other things”.

“Other things?”

“Things I'm...surprised Naruto had suggested. Kakashi I'm not so bothered with, he was neutral, and didn't support it, but he didn't help either. The elders favoured Naruto's approach to the matter. There was nothing malicious about Naruto's suggestions they were just–”

“Ignorant?”

He looks up, frowning, “yea”.

Sakura hums in response.

Sasuke continues, “I wasn't in the wrong opposing what the village thought of me, and my clan – but I was in the wrong with how I treated you Sakura. It wasn't fair to be distant, you weren't involved–”

“So this was the reason?” Sakura interjects, “I've wanted to know for so long and...now I do”.

“I'm sorry”.

“I don't want you to be,” she says, “its okay, I think I understand–”

“There's more”.

“Oh”.

“I think I can look back now and consider it bad timing, the night I left I had met Naruto earlier that day. He spoke to me about what he plans to do during his eventual tenure as Hokage”.

“What did he say?” Sakura asks softly.

His reaction is childish in hindsight, at least to him. “He talked about making me his right hand man. About how he plans for me to work for him, in the shadows. He spoke of the changes he'll make, the things he'll do. He expected me to marry you as well. Start a family, a generic sort of happy end to the village's ex-missing nin”.

Sakura's glance towards him is sympathetic, “that's the night I proposed to you, isn't it?”

“Like I said, bad timing”.

“You're not Konoha's jigsaw piece to put into place, Sasuke-kun”.

“But that's what I thought,” Sasuke replies, “I shouldn't have been so hasty”.

“Maybe it was a good thing”.

Sasuke shifts his feet, “what do you mean?”

“If you were feeling like that – feeling trapped, then maybe it was a good thing that we did not marry, and that you left”.

He understands where Sakura is coming from, but she is not the issue so why should she feel the need to sacrifice. “Sakura, you're misunderstanding–”

“I'm not,” she smiles, “I think you needed the journey that you ended up taking. It hurt, what happened, I wont deny that but I would feel worse if it came to a point where you resented me for keeping you in the village”.

“You aren't some ball and chain, Sakura”.

Her eyes gleam with the dissipation of tension between them, “I could have been”.

“Sakura–”

“You could have felt trapped–”

“Sakura,” he pauses, “I don't regret leaving Konoha, nor for sticking to my principles but I do regret leaving you”.

The admission, strangely enough, prompts an uncomfortable shift in the woman before him. “You want your second chance”.

“With you, yes”.

She already appears apologetic before a word is uttered from her lips. “I'm sorry,” she says.

He knew this was always a possibility; he'd rehearsed the situation, and braced for the chance but the real deal is different – its so much worse.

“Its okay,” says Sasuke, “I understand”.

.

.

There is chatter downstairs from the bar, but that is not what keeps Sasuke up that night. Moving under his covers to get into a better position turns out to be a futile endeavour in the end.

He can count on one hand the amount of hours of sleep he'd achieved that night.

.

.

The winter chill is something he'll be glad to see the back of. He has received his answer from Sakura, one he hadn't been hoping for. Without a yes from the woman he loves, there is no reason to continue on in the village. Sasuke packs and notifies the innkeeper that he'll be leaving this afternoon.

He'd not seen Sakura today, but nor had he sought her out.

She has her schedule, and he has his.

“Sasuke-kun?” two knocks on the door accompany the call of his name.

Sasuke freezes in his spot, and waits, listening as two more successive rapts on his door follow. Sasuke puts down what he is packing, and heads over to answer.

She stands before him; red cheeked, and still covered with flakes of snow. Her eyes gleam upon his presence. She smiles and asks if she can come in.

Sasuke steps aside, and allows her entrance before closing the door behind him.

Sakura takes a look over to the back he is packing, then turns back, “you're leaving,” she says, a matter-of-factly.

“Yes,” he says, “there are a few more countries I intend to visit”.

Her melancholy expression is partially hidden by her smile. But he can see through her. “Sasuke-kun,” she says, “I love you”.

Time is not meant to stop for an expression he has heard before. From their youth to now, it brings a new feeling each and every time. Sometimes it is reassurance, other times it is what he needs to remind himself of his place with her. Today it is what he needs to alleviate a burden he has carried on for many years now – a burden placed upon him the moment he had rejected Sakura's proposal, many moons ago.

She repeats her phrase, “Sasuke-kun, I love you”.

Sasuke grinds his teeth, “why are you telling me this?”

She exhales softly, “I didn't want you to leave the village thinking that I don't”.

“You love me”.

“I do”.

His mind swirls with possibilities; Sasuke smirks, and looks back to his bag to continue packing. “I've always thought highly of you, Sakura”.

She smiles wistfully, “I know that’s not true”.

He tries not to chuckle, “whatever you say”. Sasuke closes his bag, “I truly have thought highly of you, and that's why I know that there must be a reason that you still choose not to be with me despite your feelings”.

“We don't have a future,” she says.

His eyes light up – he has another plan, “will you give me a chance to prove you wrong?”

Sakura frowns, “huh?”

“Will you give me a chance to prove you wrong?”

“Prove me – wrong?”

“Yes,” he says, “to prove we have a future”.

“I – what?”

“Sakura...”

“This is the same as what you asked me before”.

“But now I know why it is that you're wary of...me”.

“I'm not wary of you, Sasuke-kun,” she huffs out with a grins.

He is losing his chance, he can feel it.

“When are you planning to leave?” she asks.

His chance is gone, “this afternoon”.

“Would you mind if I treat you to dinner, one last time?”

The painful aspect about her cheery demeanour is the finality in which she speaks. _'Their last time'_ – does she intend not to see again if helped. “I've checked out already,” Sasuke replies.

Sakura shrugs, “you can stay at my place for the night”.

He cannot see any logical reason to say no.

.

.

Dinner in this village consisted of a total of three different restaurants options. Sakura takes him to the one that serves hot coco. “They also have really good spicy food here,” she offers with a grin, blowing on her far-too-sweet drink.

Sasuke smirks, and orders the hottest curry on the menu.

Sakura begins the night by telling Sasuke a few jokes that are popular with the townsfolk. All involving the inevitability of snow, or the dangers of ice, or how 'darn inconvenient' blizzards are. Sasuke does not laugh at any of them.

“Of course,” Sakura rolls her eyes, and grins, “your lack of humour”.

“I think its more with the fact that you've lived here for three months now, Sakura”.

The kunochi scoffs, and bites into her marshmallow, “I doubt it, there is no way those jokes aren't hilarious”.

Their meals arrive in good time. Sakura thanks the waiter and the pair begins eating. Partway through a group of young boys, aged fifteen, or maybe sixteen, walk past their table with a daydream-like smile and a, “hi miss Haruno”.

Sasuke frowns at the boys, which ushers them away quicker. Sakura snorts, and grumbles under her breath, “perverts”.

Sasuke narrows his eyes, “should I ask?”

Sakura sips on her water. “You should not”.

“Perverts?”

“Yea well...young boys are probably starved for entertainment in this village”.

Sasuke nods and glances over towards the boys that hide behind a parting near the entrance (they promptly leave upon Sasuke's glare). He turns back, “I can't see what they could have done that wouldn't be considered harmless”.

“They stole my underwear”.

He pauses, “that's...impressive”.

Sakura stops eating, and puts down her fork, “what?”

“What?”

“What do you...what?”

Sasuke smirks, “well, you are a kunochi”.

Sakura groans, and rolls her eyes.

.

.

“Okay when I said it was my treat, I really meant my treat”.

Sakura reaches out for the bill which Sasuke holds away from her grasp. His height to the advantage, an added bonus to the matter being that Sakura's expression of frustration amuses him to no end.

“We'll split it,” he says.

“No, no, let me pay!” whines the accomplished medic before him.

Sasuke chuckles, “Sakura, be reasonable”.

“No you”.

“Sakura...”

“Sasuke-kun, don't be a jerk and let me pay for your meal, dammit!”

.

.

They take home a bottle of sake for the night. They're sober for now, Sakura had remarked, but that can change. In all fairness it is the warmth that liquor can bring to ones system that had prompted Sakura to take home the bottle.

Neither are heavy drinkers, but maybe tonight it would be fitting.

“I bought some mix,” Sakura informs, ruffling through her cupboards for said mix. Sasuke watches her as she searches on her knees. He looks away, frowning.

Before they pour their first drink, Sakura begins recounting a story from a week before he'd arrived back. He listens whilst playing with the lid of the sake bottle absent-mindedly. Sakura tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear and giggles when noticing how intently he watches her.

“You're staring,” she teases.

“Sorry,” he smirks.

She moves closer to him, settling against his chest. Sasuke places the sake bottle upon the coffee table and wraps his arm around her shoulder, “are you tired?” he asks.

She replies with a soft no. He isn't either.

“Sasuke-kun,” she whispers, “how were you going to do it?”

The clock ticks twice between Sakura's question, and Sasuke answer, “do what?”

“Convince me”.

He smirks, “convince you that we have a future?”

“Yes,” she giggles, “that”.

He exhales, “I don't know”.

“No?”

“No. I had no idea how I would do it. I just knew that I wanted to try”.

“Ambitious”.

“Hopeful,” Sasuke lightly squeezes her shoulder, “why do you think we have no future?”

He cannot see her expression, but Sasuke guesses that she is smiling, “its just...our priorities”.

“Our priorities?”

“Yes we,” she bites her lip, “neither of us are, stagnant”.

“What does that have to do with it?”

She lets slip a dry chuckle, “if we we're both settled, or both travelling around together, it would work but right now, neither of us can...commit”.

“Sakura...”

“Oh, you know what I mean”.

His retort falls to silence on his lips as a thought occurs to him – _maybe this is the kind of relationship Sakura seeks_. If so, then he cannot offer her such a thing, and it would be wrong to string her along, promising such. Walks throughout town, afternoons spent together, lazy Sunday mornings; he cannot give her this which she seeks – perhaps she is right, perhaps they do not have a future.

Sasuke vocalises his thoughts and Sakura leans off his chest. She is looking at him; a small crease between her brows. Lost in her thoughts from the words he has spoken. She licks her bottom lip, looking away, and replies, “I don't want that”.

He asks, “then what do you want?”

“I just,” she exhales, “I just wanted to be by your side, I wanted to support you”.

“I cannot promise that you'll be able to be with me even like this, Sakura. I do support you, and I care for you. But physically, I may not be with you at all times”.

Her lips form a thin line. Then, she smiles, “thank you for being honest”.

Sasuke takes his hand away from her shoulders. With his index and middle, he pokes her forehead.

Her eyes widen, then soften. His message is clear to her, and his intentions are pure. Scraping together whatever confidence he has left, and fully embracing his selfish side, Sasuke then asks her, “can we still try?”

She wrings her hands together, upon her lap, “what will be the difference between now, and if I say yes?”

Her hands relax, and his eyes wander up to meet her gaze, “the difference is that we'll be sure, instead of wandering around the uncertain”.

“Does that really change anything?” she asks, smiling softly for he knows that Sakura already shares his same view.

Sasuke replies, “yes”.

A soft bite of her bottom lip, and a barely-there nod catches his attention. She looks to him the same way he looks at her, and only her. Sakura leans in, and kisses the corner of his mouth. Chaste and innocent, she pulls away; only half-way before Sasuke leans in once again to close the gap. He kisses her full on the lips.

In a split second decision, Sasuke chooses to listen to his instinct, and kiss her – Its been a while where he'd made a decision where is he sure of, and has no regrets for.

Sakura follows suit, and reciprocates. Sakura leans into him, her fingers tentatively trail down his chest. Their affections are no longer so innocent.

Sasuke ignores the seconds that turn to minutes and allow his inhibitions to fade away; his desire begins to fuel his actions.

Sakura breaks their kiss, and whispers, “follow me”. She stands up, and heads to the bedroom. He is quick to scamper after her.

.

.

Sasuke will attest that Sakura had caught him off-guard by an underhanded method because how is it that she straddles him.

“Did you want to be on top?” she giggles.

He scoffs, “obviously”.

Sakura licks her lips, and leans down to whisper in his ear. “Then earn it,” she says before kissing his lobe, then his jaw, and finally his lips.

Truthfully, a challenge like this isn't one he'll get angry over. Not when Sakura speaks to him like this, touches him like this – kisses him like this – she softly bites his bottom lip. Sasuke smirks, and parts his lips. Sakura runs her tongue along his, then moves to continue down his chest. She unbuttons his shirt slowly.

Her fingers work quickly at his waistband.

His legs quiver in anticipation and freeze the moment Sakura's tongue first runs along his shaft. She gives him a soft squeeze, then pumps his cock to incite from him a low exhale.

“Am I doing it right?” she asks, her cheeks red and her eyes eager.

Sasuke clears his throat, “yes...yea, keep doing...that”.

A staccato breath and uneven tone follow, and its what pleases the kunochi to hear. She begins to pleasure him and Sasuke begins to loose him ability to think. The thoughts that run through his mind are jumbled, and nonsensical. Her pace is measured – and he is delirious.

A grin plasters across his face; completely unaware of it, Sasuke starts to whisper her name.

A coil in his senses begins to unfurl. An edge nears, it draws closer, but with a desire for the night to end in a certain way, Sasuke calls out for Sakura to stop.

She pulls away, her lips tempt him so. “What's wrong?” she breathes.

Sasuke nods for her to come up to him. She does so, but far too slowly. Grabbing the back of her head, Sasuke drags her in for a bruising kiss. His fingers untangle from her hair and Sakura begins to take control. She straddles him once more, and Sasuke's fingers roam down without her awareness.

His digits tease near the outside of her panties. Sakura's eyes widen, and she looks down to see what Sasuke is doing. She is as eager as he – the evidence to him prompts a smirk upon his lips. Sakura feigns an affronted demeanour but still whispers for him to continue touching her.

He pulls aside her panties, she lifts herself up to help him in the task.

Sakura moves back, and shifts to hover above his erection. He grasps her hip, and she slowly begins to sink down. Sakura inhales sharply, and places a shaky hand upon his chest. Sasuke grips her hip tighter, and scrunches his eyes shut.

His grin returns, and he whisper to her, “you shouldn't be able to do this to me”.

He can hear Sakura giggle softly at her remark. She breathes in, then out. He tells her he is ready when she is. Sakura nods, and moves up, then back down along his shaft.

His words thereafter are no longer coherent.

.

.

Sasuke wakes to find Sakura's side of the bed empty, but still warm. He throws his arm over to where she should be. He exhales, and gets up. He finds his pants at the foot of the bed; he puts them on, puts on his shirt, then leave the bedroom.

Sasuke finds Sakura sitting on the couch, staring aimlessly at their unopened bottle of sake.

She jumps when she sees him, and quickly stands up. “Um,” she blinks, and looks away.

Sasuke approaches as normal, greeting her with a soft, “good morning,” and heading towards the kitchen to fix himself a coffee.

Sakura tentatively follows; her steps are awkward and it is clear her mind is elsewhere. Sasuke reaches for a mug, and peripherally glances over the demeanour of the kunochi beside him.

She wants to say something – but can't. So he will.

Sasuke puts down his mug, and turns to Sakura, “Sakura, how are you feeling?”

She looks up, apologetically, “I'm...fine”.

She is far too easy to read, “are you regretting it?”

“Are you?”

“No,” he says, firmly, “I've wanted this for a while”.

She raises an eyebrow.

“Not...not specifically _that_ ,” he reiterates, frustrated at his choice of words, “I mean – this,” Sasuke circles his hands between them, “that's why I came up here, to find you”.

She knows, “yes...but–”

“Sakura–”

“Sasuke-kun, we...” she pauses for a second to gather her thoughts, “we we're...I was, swept up with everything last night. It was, short-sightedness coming into play. But its the morning now and every day from now on I'll–”

“I wont abandon you,” Sasuke interjects, frowning at the implication of what he assumes Sakura worries of. “I will be faithful”.

“I know,” she smiles, “I'd never doubt you on that”.

“Sakura...I...” he trails of.

Her smile wanes, “I'll just...I'll just miss you, that's all”.

His external guise hides well his crumbling state. He takes a step towards Sakura, “I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be asking you this...considering...”

“Its okay,” she says, “I agreed, didn't I?”

“I don't usually indulge in my selfish desires”.

“But I'm your exception”.

He nods, “you understand”.

“I do”.

She takes his hand, and raises herself to the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek.

.

.

Sasuke expects that months will pass before he is to see Sakura again – if he is lucky. She remarks that perhaps it'll be her visiting him next time. The sentiment is made with levity; a grin and a giggle, but deep down Sasuke hopes that the thought comes true.

“By the way, I know this may be a weird time to ask this Sasuke-kun, but um...” she is partially frowning, though something about her expression makes him think that she is inhibiting a smile.

Sasuke holds his cloak close to his body, so to avoid the morning chill. “What is it Sakura?” he asks.

“Some of my...um...”

“What?”

She breaths out a soft giggle, “I feel embarrassed to ask”.

“Sakura...”

“Its just, funnily enough, some of my underwear is missing”.

Sasuke narrows his gaze – she is far too perceptive. “Those kids may have stolen it again”.

“Last night?...while we were...” she bites her lip.

He looks away, and clears his throat, “its the only explanation...”

**Author's Note:**

> comments are really appreciated ^_^


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